DURBAN – A Life-long dream of studying at a prestigious international university was realised when a Durban-born chartered accountant completed his Masters in Business Administration (MBA), at the University of Oxford, in the UK.

Pravarshan Murugasen’s mother, Judge Mohini Moodley, said she had instilled in him an appreciation of the value of education, which motivated him to further his studies.

Murugasen funded his own way to the University of Oxford, after several attempts to study at top international universities. After graduating this month, Murugasen said his sacrifices had finally paid off.

“It was a wonderful experience to study at Oxford, but it was a long process and required many sacrifices prior to acceptance. My biggest motivation was my mother’s belief in the value of education,” he said.

Murugasen, an equity analyst for Foord Asset Management in Cape Town, said after his MBA he was hoping to get involved in education technology, or “edtech”.

“I want to be involved in the use of technology to break the barriers and challenges that the education system faces in South Africa. I’d like to contribute to the delivery of learning content, through technology, to students affected by challenges like a shortage of skilled teachers, the high costs of school infrastructure, etc,” he said.

Murugasen, who completed his Bachelor of Business Science in finance and postgraduate diploma in accounting at the University of Cape Town, completed his MBA through the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School.

He said he chose the Saïd Business School because it was “socially conscious” and supported his commitment to benefiting society.

On his experience at Oxford, Murugasen said it was a dream come true. He is now supporting his wife Jacqueline Naidoo, as she completes her MBA.